Mardi Gras Mayhem
by Erin T. Aardvark
Summary: The Impossibles encounter magic and mystery at the Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans
1. Chapter 1

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Another Camp Monkee Mallard fanfic rehash, to fit the Impossibles. What can I say? Some of the stuff I once wrote for CMM works for these, too. Anyway, as always, the Impossibles and Big D belong to Hanna-Barbera. Anyone else you encounter is mine.

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It was a Monday night, and all was quiet in the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana. Almost. One jewelry store was locking up for the night, turning on the security system for their most prized possession, the Mardi Gras Pearls, the most expensive pearl necklace in the world. They were called the Mardi Gras Pearls, because they bore a striking resemblance to Mardi Gras beads, which is what two crooks counted on.

One of the crooks was a woman with long, blond hair in ringlets of curls. The other was a tall man with dark brown hair and large sideburns. Both were wearing traditional Mardi Gras masks. They had a string of Mardi Gras beads with them, which were identical to the necklace. All they had to do was sneak inside the store without triggering the alarm.

"I'll have this lock jimmied in two shakes," the man of them said.

"Good," the woman said. "We can't afford any slip ups."

The man nodded, and opened the door. The two of them slipped inside the store. The woman took the strand of beads and switched them with the Mardi Gras Pearls as fast as she could, so she didn't set off the alarm. Then the two crooks fled the scene of the crime, as if nothing happened. Then they hightailed it to their hideout, which was a store that sold Mardi Gras party supplies, including beads, masks, costumes, and decorations.

"I tell you, Jack," the girl said. "These pearls are gonna make us rich!"

"You said it, Nanette," Jack replied. "Better go put 'em in a safe place."

"Right."

Nanette took the pearls and placed them with various other Mardi Gras items so they wouldn't look suspicious. Early the next morning, there was a knock on the front door of the store.

"We're not open until ten," Nanette said.

"Yeah, I know," Jack said. "I'll get rid of 'em."

Jack walked over to the front of the store and opened the window shade. He found three teenage boys standing in front of the door, waiting to get inside. One was a short, chubby blond, another a tall redhead with hair that hung in his face, concealing his eyes, and the third was medium height with black hair. All three of them were wearing the same outfit, consisting of a purple jacket over a bright green turtleneck, red pants, and black boots. The boys also carried guitar cases, and a small, brown and white puppy was sitting by the redhead. It happened to be the Impossibles.

"Go away, we're closed!" Jack shouted. "Come back at ten!"

"We can't," Coiley said. "We're the Impossibles."

"Yeah, we're performing in the Mardi Gras parade today," Multi replied. "The parade director told us to pick up our costumes and stuff here at seven thirty."

"And it's seven thirty now," Fluey replied.

"Oh the Impossibles," Jack said. "Yeah, I forgot about you guys. Come in."

Jack opened the door, and the Impossibles walked inside, looking around the place. Skittles began sniffing around, and she gave Jack an odd look. There was something about him she didn't like.

"Nice place you got here," Coiley said.

"Thanks," Jack said. "Stay here. I'll get the stuff."

Jack walked over to the back room. Nanette walked out to the front and saw the three boys, looking around the store. Her cheeks began to turn red with anger and she stormed towards the store room.

"I thought you were going to get rid of them!" she hissed at Jack.

"Those guys are the Impossibles," Jack said. "Remember? Some guy called and asked us to supply costumes and junk for this musical act for the Mardi Gras parade today? And we told them to come by at seven thirty?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about them. Well, get them their stuff and get them out of here! We can't have them walking in and finding the pearls!"

Jack nodded, and took a box of stuff out to the front. He handed it to Fluey.

"It's all there," he said.

"Thanks," Fluey replied, looking through the box. "Come on guys, let's split."

The boys then left the store, dying to go through the box. Jack shut the door, locked it, and pulled down the blinds.

"Close one," he said.

"No kidding," Nanette replied. "I'll go get the pearls. We've got to beat it before the cops show up."

"Right."

Jack and Nanette walked into the store room in order to look for the pearls. Imagine their surprise when they couldn't find them!

"Where are they?!" Nanette shouted.

"They were right here!" Jack yelled.

"Where?!"

"Back here somewhere! I just don't know where! But I know I put them back here."

"Yeah, but where?!"

"I don't know!"

"Think, Jack! What did you do with them last night?"

"Well, last night, I came in here, and I threw them inside a box."

"Inside a box . . . . . Jack, you didn't throw 'em in the box I just gave to those guys . . . . did you?"

"Uhhh . . . . . you know what? I think I did."

"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?!"

"I forgot what box I stuck 'em in until now!"

"Let's not panic. Let's think about this in a logical way. We've got to get those pearls back. Follow me."

Jack shrugged and followed Nanette out the back door. Luckily, she knew who to turn to in a case like this.


	2. Cursed Again

Jack and Nanette went down Bourbon Street, past the French Quarter, and arrived at their stop. They walked inside a dark store, through a beaded curtain, and then sat down.

"What are we doing here?" Jack asked.

"We're here to visit Madame LaTrine," Nanette explained. "She's a voodoo expert."

"Voodoo?"

"Oh yeah. I've come to her once or twice for something or another."

"Well, it doesn't look like she's home."

Suddenly, another beaded curtain swung open, and out stepped a woman, wearing a long, black garment, and a gold amulet with a green jewel in the center of it. She sat down and looked at Jack and Nanette.

"I am home," she said. "What can I do for you?"

"We have a slight problem," Nanette said.

"You stole the famed Mardi Gras Pearls and you accidently gave them to a group of boys who happen to be performing in the parade today," the woman said.

"How'd you know?" Jack asked.

"Madame LaTrine knows all and sees all," the woman replied. "Lucky for you, I know exactly what to do."

Madame LaTrine left the room, and disappeared. Jack and Nanette looked at each other, and shrugged. After awhile, Madame LaTrine returned to the room, carrying a small box. She handed it to Jack, as well as a slip of paper.

"Take that box to the address on the paper," she said. "Gordy will know exactly what to do."

"Who's Gordy?" Jack asked.

"My partner," Madame LaTrine replied. "That's all you need to know."

"Come on, let's split," Nanette said. "We have to get that necklace back!"

Jack shrugged, and took the box to Gordy's place, which was in the swamp. What Jack and Nanette didn't know was Gordy hailed from the Other Realm, and specialized in voodoo. He smiled sneakily and Jack and Nanette.

"Don't worry about a thing," he said. "I'll get your necklace back for you. No problem at all. You two wait here."

Gordy left his house, carrying the box with him. Jack watched him go, and then turned to Nanette.

"What's in that box, anyway?" he asked.

"I have no idea," Nanette said, with a shrug. "We'll find out sooner or later, I guess."

Indeed they were, but the Impossibles were going to find out first. In fact, they were preparing for the parade, changing into some very extravagant costumes.

"I tell you," Fluey said, looking at his reflection in a full length mirror. "We're gonna look like male Supremes in these!"

"No kidding," Coiley replied, putting on a string of beads. "I can't believe this. They've got us wearing the Mardi Gras colors."

"Well, there are three of us," Multi replied, as he was putting a little dog sized costume and mask on Skittles. She was trying to grab onto the beads around Multi's neck so she could chew on them. "And there are three colors of Mardi Gras. Purple, green, and gold."

"Yeah," Fluey said. "Sheesh, look at us. We've got so much metallic material, glitter, and glitz on us, we'll blind anybody that comes within a two mile radius!"

Coiley and Multi had to laugh at that one. Fluey pulled the remaining beads out of the box (which happened to be the Mardi Gras Pearls) and put them around his neck. Then he, Multi, and Coiley looked in the full length mirror.

"We look like fools," Coiley replied. "_Scoop_ magazine would have a field day if they got wind of _this_."

(_Scoop_ magazine was Megatropolis's local tabloid trash paper)

"I know," Multi said. Then he put on a mask. "At least they gave us these masks."

"They'll still know who we are," Coiley said. "After all, we are performing!"

"Well, Fellow Fools," Fluey said, putting on his mask. "Are we ready?"

"We're ready," Multi said, laughing.

"Okay then," Fluey replied. "Masks on. Let's go."

Coiley and Multi put on their own masks, and walked down to the parade grounds. The sidewalks were already jammed with people, most of them wearing costumes. Coiley let out a low whistle as he looked.

"I have a feeling this place is gonna get wild," he said.

"You oughta see Mardi Gras in the French Quarter!" Multi shouted. "It gets crazy over there!"

"How crazy?" Coiley asked.

"Well, let's say the behavior gets a little risque," Multi explained. "But usually at night. My dad's been to the Mardi Gras before, and he's seen it first hand."

"We'll have to check it out then," Fluey said.

Multi and Coiley gave their bandmate a weird look, not sure if Fluey was kidding or not. Then they climbed onto the float that they were going to be performing on. The parade got started, and Coiley began to get a little nervous. He probably thought a fight was going to break up among the teenage girls that were on the street, since the Impossibles were going to be throwing beads, doubloons, and other items. For the introduction, the boys launched into a rendition of Gary US Bonds's "New Orleans" (what else?) The teenage girls went crazy. Between songs, the boys began tossing beads to the girls in the crowd, who were practically killing each other grabbing for them.

Just as the Impossibles finished their third song, a large puff of smoke appeared right in front of the float, stopping the whole parade cold. The crowds were awestruck.

"Is this part of the show?" one of the float riders asked.

"I don't think so," Coiley said, taking off his mask to get a better look at what just stopped the float. Skittles tensed, and began growling.

"I'm getting that icky feeling in the pit of my stomach again," Fluey said, nervously.

The smoke cleared, revealing a man, dressed in black, and face made up in white, black, red, green, and gold paint. He had some kind of snake wrapped around his neck. Multi thought it was real for a minute or so, and then realized it was rubber, much to his relief.

"What is that?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Coiley said. "But I think it's a voodoo priest."

"Voodoo?!" Fluey shouted.

"Ah ha!" the man in black shouted. "The young man has figured me out! I am most certainly a voodoo priest. They call me Gordonalis, the master of all voodoo!"

"Ooohhh boy . . . . ." Coiley said.

"Holy Mesopotamia!" Fluey shouted.

"Yipe!" Skittles yipped, and ran behind Multi's leg. No way in the world was she going to mess with a voodoo master!

"Now hold it," Multi said. "There's no such thing as voodoo. It's just a bunch of mumbo jumbo."

"Oh is it?" Gordonalis asked. "I have incredible power. Amazing power you'd never believe!"

Gordonalis waved his arms around, and then snapped his fingers. Another puff of smoke appeared in his hands. When it cleared, he was holding a voodoo doll in his hand. The doll had black hair in somewhat of a 1960's style haircut, a purple jacket over a green turtleneck, red pants, and black boots.

"What the . . . . ." Coiley started.

"Suffering RPM's!" Fluey shouted. "Th-th-that thing looks just like _me!_"

"Relax, Fluey," Multi said. "There's no such thing as voodoo."

"Well, there _is_ such a thing as witchcraft," Fluey said. "After all, my girlfriend _is_ a witch. Isn't voodoo a type of witchcraft, Multi?"

"Don't get technical, Fluey. Besides, he's putting us on."

"Oh am I?" Gordonalis asked.

Gordonalis took a pin out of his garment and stuck it into the doll's back. In response, Fluey let out a scream of pain.

"Ow!" he shouted. "What just happened?!"

"You have been cursed," Gordonalis said. "And you, Franklin McAlister, will remain cursed for all eternity!"

"But why me?!" Fluey shouted.

"Yeah, it doesn't make sense," Coiley shouted.

"It doesn't have to make sense," Gordonalis said. "It's the way it goes. But there is one way to lift the curse."

"What's that?" Fluey asked.

"First of all, you must not lose those beads you wear around your neck."

"Keep wearing these beads? Sounds kinda silly if you ask me."

"They're vitally important, trust me."

"Okay. I keep the beads. Then what do I do?"

"Seek out Madame LaTrine. You will find her in the swamp lands."

"The swamp?!"

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Multi said.

"Yeah, the Louisiana bayou isn't exactly paradise," Fluey replied. "And this Madame LaTrine sounds like one spooky character."

"Suit yourself," Gordonalis said. "If you want to remained cursed. That's not my problem."

With that, Gordonalis dropped the doll to the ground. Once he did that, Fluey felt like he was being thrown off the float, and he landed on the ground, flat on his back. Multi and Coiley jumped off the float themselves, and helped Fluey to his feet. Skittles followed, whimpering.

"Hey, Fluey, are you all right?" Coiley asked.

"Yeah, that was some fall!" Multi shouted.

"I'm okay," Fluey said. "Still don't think there's such a thing as voodoo, Multi?"

"Of course there isn't!" Multi shouted. "That was just a coincidence."

Gordonalis laughed, picked up the doll, and twisted it's arm behind it's back. Fluey felt as though someone was twisting his arm them. He let out a painful shriek as Gordonalis twisted the doll's arm.

"Then again," Multi said. "I could be wrong."

Gordonalis laughed, and let go of the doll's arm. Then he snapped his fingers and disappeared the same way as he arrived. Everybody was silent. The Impossibles looked at each other, not quite knowing what to think. But one thing was for sure, they had to figure out what to do about this voodoo curse Fluey was supposedly under.

"A voodoo curse yet," Fluey groaned. "Boy, we get ourselves into more predicaments."

"You're telling us?" Coiley asked. "What are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know about you guys," Fluey said. "But I'm gonna go check out this Madame LaTrine person. I definitely don't want to be cursed the rest of my life."

"Oh for crying out loud, Fluey!" Multi shouted.

"Well, after what happened earlier," Fluey said. "I don't want to take any chances, that's all!"

"He's got a point, Multi," Coiley replied, shrugging. Skittles barked in agreement.

"Okay," Multi said. "Yeah, you guys do have a point. Well . . . . let's go."

"Yeah," Coiley said. "We've got a lot of ground to cover."

"We?" Fluey repeated. "You mean you guys are gonna come with me?

"Yeah," Coiley said. "We're not gonna let you go off into the swamp lands alone, Fluey. Knowing you, you'll only land into a mess of trouble."

"Yeah okay," Fluey said. "Good point. Let's get out of these ridiculous costumes and head on out."

Multi and Coiley agreed, and the three boys headed back to their hotel to change.


	3. Voodoo

Moments later, the Impossibles were driving out to the Louisiana bayou in the Impossi-Mobile. But they were being watched, by none other than Madame LaTrine, Gordy, Jack, and Nanette, via crystal ball.

"Does he still have the pearls?" Nanette asked.

"Yes, he's still wearing them," Madame LaTrine said. "I didn't know his friends would come along."

"We're gonna have to separate them," Gordy said. "Thank goodness we've got the voodoo doll. It'll be easier to separate the three of 'em with it."

"Four of 'em," Jack corrected. "They brought the dog."

"Just so long as McAlister has the pearls," Nanette said. "We've got to get them back before he finds out they aren't Mardi Gras beads!"

"But what about the other two?" Jack asked.

"Don't worry," Gordy said. "Once we separate them, everything will fall into place."

The four villains laughed. At the moment, the Impossibles had reached an area of the swamp lands, trying to figure out where to go from there. The marsh was too dense for the Impossi-Mobile to drive through, and they wouldn't be able to see anything via Impossi-Jet.

"Well, there's walking in the marsh, and then there's converting to Impossi-Boat and going down the river," Coiley said. "Take your pick."

"The river," Multi and Fluey said in unison, and Coiley quickly converted to Impossi-Boat, and started speeding down the river.

Gordy stood there, watching the action, wondering how he could separate the Impossibles. Then he got an idea. He picked up a staff and began waving it around. A large rock appeared from seemingly out of nowhere in the river, straight in the path of the Impossi-Boat. The Impossibles didn't notice it, until they ended up crashing head on into it. The boys were nearly catapulted out of the boat when the rock hit.

"Yipe!" Skittles yipped, digging her nails into the seat.

"Whoa!" Fluey shouted. "What was that?!"

"A road block," Multi commented.

"Unfortunately, I can't start the engine," Coiley said, shrugging. "Now what do we do?"

"I guess we have to walk," Multi said, picking up his puppy.

Gordy laughed sinisterly. He knew of an old raft that was laying in the water's edge, close to where the Impossibles had crashed. All he had to do was steer them boys toward it. He took a model raft from his table, and set the voodoo doll on it. That was when Fluey spotted the real raft in the distance.

"We can still get down the river, fellas," he said. "Look, here's a raft."

"Ah ha," Coiley said. "That's good 'cause I wasn't about to walk through the marsh."

"Not in this heat, that's for sure," Multi replied. "Let's go."

Skittles and the boys climbed aboard the raft, and used long sticks for paddles. They rolled down the river, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Fluey asked.

"Anything out of the ordinary," Coiley replied. "Once we find something out of the ordinary, then we've found Madame LaTrine."

"How do you figure that?" Fluey asked.

"Don't ask me, I don't know."

Fluey shrugged, and continued rowing down stream. They went further into the bayou, looking around for anything that looked like a voodoo priest's hut or whatever they lived in. All they saw was marsh and swamp.

"I feel like I'm in a chapter of _Tom Sawyer_," Coiley said.

"Either that or _Huckleberry Finn_," Fluey said. "I'm getting a creepy feeling about all this."

"So am I," Multi said, as Skittles began whimpering. "I hope we find that LaTrine person soon."

The boys were rowing, looking around for anything weird, when suddenly, they heard a tree falling. They looked up and realized that one was definitely falling all right. And it was about to hit them.

"Uh oh," Multi said.

"Oh boy," Coiley said.

"Timber!" Fluey shouted.

The tree crashed into the raft, and smashed it to pieces. The boys grabbed onto pieces of it, and tried to regroup.

"Wow!" Multi shouted. "That tree must've been filled with termites!"

"No kidding," Fluey said. "Man, that was a close one!"

"The curse of the voodoo strikes again!" Coiley shouted.

"Coiley, that was just a coincidence," Multi said. "But just in case . . . . Fluey, do you still have those beads?"

"Yeah," Fluey said, pulling the pearls out from underneath his shirt. "Right here."

"Let me see those for a minute."

"Sure."

Gordy began to get nervous when he saw that. Fluey took the necklace off and was about to hand it to Multi, when Gordy began to create a little rough waters for the boys. He created a strong current that swept the boys downstream.

"Whoa!" Coiley shouted.

"Rough waters ahead!" Multi yelled. "What do we do now?!"

"Try to get to shore, what else?!" Fluey shouted.

Gordy watched the boys try to swim for shore and laughed. This was the perfect opportunity to separate them. He took his voodoo doll and threw it into his model lake. In the river, Fluey lost his grip on the piece of the raft he was holding onto and went under the water. Skittles immediately dove under after him. She came up a few minutes later, pulling Fluey to the surface by the back collar of his jacket. He coughed and spat water out of his mouth, then scanned the waters, looking for something to grab onto, so he could dig out his transformer and change to his superhero identity before something else happened. Gordy smiled, and created a lovely old fashioned thunder storm. That only made the already rough river waters rougher.

"What do we do now?!" Multi shouted, trying to make his voice audible over the thunder.

"You're asking me?!" Fluey shouted. "Just hold onto anything!"

Fluey managed to grab onto another piece of the raft, but that didn't do any good. All three boys, and Skittles were swept into the current. They came to a fork in the river. Gordy was planning on this. He caused the voodoo doll to swerve one way, and then Multi and Coiley would go the other way. The three boys were so panicked, they didn't even notice they were about to be separated, and they didn't even _think_ about transforming! It was dark in this part of the swamp. Fluey could barely make out the low hanging branches, but he managed to duck some of them. Except one, and he smacked right into it. WHACK! He banged his head on the branch, and then lost his grip on the piece of the raft. He slowly sank into the murky waters of the swamp, and then at the last minute, washed up on the shore.

Multi, Coiley, and Skittles weren't very lucky, either. Multi's piece of raft slid into shore, and he slid right into the mud. Skittles slid right off the plank and ended up covered in mud.

"Perfect," Multi groaned, picking up his mud-covered dog. "What else could go wrong?"

Plenty. Coiley's piece was coming in closer and closer. Multi was a little too dazed to even notice it!

"Hey, Multi watch out!" Coiley shouted.

"Huh?" Multi asked. Then Coiley's piece of the raft slammed right into Multi's, which catapulted Coiley into the air.

"Ooh!" Multi shouted as the raft hit him, and he slid further into the mud.

"Whoooaaaa!" Coiley yelled, as he flew into the air.

Multi didn't see where Coiley landed. He was too dazed, and Skittles was trying to lick the mud off her. For all he knew, Coiley had landed somewhere in the next county at the rate he was flying. He just groaned and lay there in the mud like an alligator for a few minutes. Gordy, Madame LaTrine, Jack, and Nanette had watched the entire thing through Madame LaTrine's crystal ball.

"The way I see it, you should have your pearls by nightfall," Madame LaTrine said.

"Yyyeesssss!" Jack shouted.

"Once we get those pearls back, we'll make a fortune!" Nanette shouted.

The four villains laughed. They still had to wait, though. They weren't about to go out into the bayou and go find Fluey, unless it was absolutely necessary.

In the meantime, Multi had just regained his senses. He stood up, and tried to wipe the muck and mud off of him, and his pup.

"And they call this beauty treatment," he groaned. "Well, Skittles, we'd better start looking for the guys. Fluey! Coiley! Where are you?!"

Multi walked along the swamp, calling his friends, looking around for them. He'd normally have Skittles sniff around for them, but all she could smell was mud.

"Fluey!" he shouted. "Coiley! Come on out, you guys!"

Multi continued to look around. As he was looking, a creature covered in mud crawled out of the swamp and skulked towards Multi and Skittles. They weren't even aware he was coming! They just continued walking around, calling Fluey and Coiley.

"Fluey! Coiley!" he called, just as the mud monster tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around, and was face to face with it.

"Yikes!" he screamed, and jumped nearly fifteen feet in the air. Skittles growled, barked, and slammed right into the mud monster, pushing him right back into the mud. Skittles growled, and began sniffing. Suddenly, she stopped growling, and began barking excitedly. Then she started licking the monster's face.

"Hey, hey, take it easy, Skittles!" the mud monster shouted as he was getting barraged with puppy kisses.

"Coiley?!" Multi asked, incredulously.

"Well it ain't Little Bo Peep!" Coiley shouted, managing to pull Skittles off him.

"Eehh, what happened to you?" Multi asked, taking his dog from his teammate.

"I decided to take a mud bath with my clothes on," Coiley said, sarcastically. "What do you think?! When my piece of the raft hit yours, I was catapulted into the air and I landed in a lake that was full of mud!"

"Oh. Hey, have you seen Fluey?"

"No, after I landed, I didn't see much of anything except mud."

"Well, he's gotta be around here somewhere."

"Yeah. Come on, let's look."

Multi and Coiley began to walk along the marshes, calling out Fluey's name, looking around. After about five minutes, they began to tire out. Skittles was already asleep.

"Coiley, I gotta stop," Multi said.

"We can't stop now," Coiley said.

"I know, but I'm so wiped out, I don't know how much longer I can hold out without a break!"

"Multi, please try and hold out for as long as you can!"

"I'll try, Coiley, but I can't promise you anything."

Coiley nodded, and he and Multi continued to look around, but not for long. Multi just couldn't go another step, and he tripped over a tree root. He ended up banging the side of his head on the ground and passing out. Coiley groaned.

"Oh great," he said sarcastically. "I guess I've got to look for Fluey on my own now."

Coiley turned around, but ended up banging his head on a low tree branch. He heard the cuckoo birds and saw stars, and then fell backwards, right next to Multi. Both of them were out cold.


	4. To Bead or Not To Bead

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: If there are any Louisiana natives out there who read this story, I would like to apologize for the potentially politically incorrect Cajun dialect from a character in this chapter.

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_

The moment Multi came to his senses, he found himself staring at some kind of light. He groaned, and sat up, and noticed that he wasn't in the swamp anymore. He, Coiley, and Skittles were in some kind of bedroom. He shook Coiley's shoulder in order to wake him up.

"Hey, Coiley," he said. "Wake up. We're out of the swamp."

"Ugh," Coiley groaned, leaning up. "Boy, I've got a headache the size of Texas!"

"Yeah, _tell_ me about it! I wonder where we are anyway?"

"In our house, silly," a girl's voice said. Multi and Coiley looked in the doorway and saw a young man and a girl standing there. Both of them were obviously Louisiana natives.

"Welcome to the Colonel Sanders Estate," the girl replied.

"Glad to see you're awake," the young man said. "Allow me to introduce ourselves. I'm Beauregarde Saundairs the Third. Folks here just call me Beau. This is my sister, Cynthia Lynne, but we just call her Cissy."

"Hi," Coiley said. "I'm Coil . . . . errr, Calvin Collins, and this is Mark Mills, and this is Mark's dog, Skittles."

"The Impossibles?" Cissy asked. "Oh, I just love your records! I didn't recognize you for a minute."

Skittles cautiously approached Beau and Cissy, sniffing them out. Once she did, she barked, and leapt into Cissy's arms, and began licking her face, and then did the same to Beau.

"What brings you down to this part of New Orleans?" Beau asked, as he scratched the pup behind the ears.

"It's a long story, Beau," Multi said.

"And pretty involved," Coiley replied. "I'll explain. No wait. It's too long. I'll sum it up. Me, Mark, and another friend of ours, Flu . . . . I mean Franky, were performing in the Mardi Gras parade, and as we were singing, this voodoo priest or whatever showed up, and claimed Franky was cursed, and the only way to rid the curse was to find Madame LaTrine, and she could only be found in the swamp."

"At least that's what the guy said," Multi replied. "So we got on a raft and went down this river, but a tree fell on the raft, it split into pieces, and we ended up caught in a thunder storm, and then we washed up on shore. We couldn't find Franky, so we went looking for him."

"That's when Mark passed out and then I ended up banging my head on a tree branch," Coiley finished up. "Hey, you guys didn't see Franky around, did you?"

"Nope," Cissy said. "Beau and I went walkin' when we found you two and your dog lyin' on the ground out cold and covered in mud."

"But we didn't see anyone else," Beau said.

"That must mean Franky's still out there," Multi said. "And I have a feeling he's gonna be in big trouble unless we find him!"

Multi and Coiley jumped up and started for the door. Beau and Cissy followed them.

"Wait!" Beau shouted. "We'll come with you!"

"You could get lost easily in the swamp!" Cissy warned.

"Okay," Multi said, nodding. "We don't know our way around the swamp, and we could use a couple of guides."

The five of them ran from the Saundairs Estate and began to search the swamp, using Skittles nose as their tracker.

Fluey, in the meantime, had just come to his own senses. He groaned, and sat up, and then he looked around. He found himself in a run down shack of some kind, walls covered with what looked like posters from a burlesque theater or something. Fluey leaned up and looked around the shack. He heard a low growl coming from the floor and dared to look. There was an alligator, hissing, and showing his teeth. Fluey let out a scream and began to back towards the wall. The alligator came closer and closer to him, wanting to take a bite out of his leg or something, when suddenly someone whacked him on the head with a broom.

"Hey! Now you know better dan dat!" a man's voice shouted. He had a real thick Louisiana accent. "Now git outta here! G'wan! Git!"

Fluey looked at this stranger, wide eyed. He couldn't believe this guy had a pet alligator! The stranger turned toward Fluey.

"You all right?" he asked. "Sorry 'bout Fang. He jes' don't like strangers."

"Uh huh," Fluey said, nodding absently.

"You look a bit out place dere, kid. What's your name?"

"Fl . . . . . uhhh, Franky. Who are you?"

"Dey call me Flatfoot Sam. I live here in de swamp. Git me lotsa privacy, you know."

Fluey just nodded. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but he didn't really want to find out any time soon. All he knew that the night before was terrible, and he was glad that the entire ordeal was over. He just sat there, trying to figure out what happened to Coiley and Multi.

Elsewhere, Gordy, Madame LaTrine, Jack, and Nanette were still hovered over Madame LaTrine's crystal ball, watching Fluey.

"Looks like Flatfoot Sam found our target," Gordy said.

"You know him?" Nanette asked.

"He's an old friend," Madame LaTrine said. "He's always finding our victims when we lose them. Like this time. Once McAlister tells him the voodoo trouble, he'll bring him here, and you'll have your necklace."

"Good," Nanette replied. "The sooner the better if you ask me."

The four looked into the crystal ball. They watched Flatfoot Sam gather a bunch of crawdads into a large pot and then he walked into his shack.

"So what brings a city feller you to de swamp lands?" he asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Fluey replied.

"Ah hear me plenty a strange story, boy. Nuttin's gonna surprise me."

"I've got a voodoo curse on me, and I'm looking for Madame LaTrine. Supposedly she can lift this curse."

"Voodoo, huh? Boy howdy, you must've made one of dem dere voodoo fellers pretty darn mad!"

"I don't even know what I did to have a voodoo curse put on me! My friends and I were performing in the Mardi Gras parade when suddenly, this voodoo priest appeared out of nowhere, grabbed a voodoo doll that looked exactly like me, and next thing I know, I'm the victim of a voodoo curse."

"Let me tell you sumdin', boy. Many a man come here seekin' Madame LaTrine. Dey come here and ask me where she is, 'cause I know dat gal personally."

"Where can I find her?"

"Follow me, boy. Ah'll take you right to her."

"Thanks."

Fluey followed Flatfoot Sam out of the shack and into the swamp again. They walked over to a small house, further into the swamp.

"Dis be it," Flatfoot Sam said. "You jes' go in dere, and Madame LaTrine will take care of you."

Fluey gulped, and walked into the shack, upon entering the door, he walked through a beaded curtain and found himself in a small, dark room. The only things that were in the room were two chairs, a table, and a crystal ball sitting on top of the table. The walls were covered with black curtains with gold stars and moons decorating them. As he was waiting, his wrist communicator started beeping.

"Uh oh," he said, activating his communicator. "Must be the chief. What's up, Big D?"

"We've just received word that the famed Mardi Gras Pearls have been stolen from a jewelry store in New Orleans," Big D said. "Whoever stole the pearls replaced them with Mardi Gras beads that looked exactly like the pearls."

"Wait a minute, chief. Did these pearls have purple, gold, and green baubles on the string with them?"

"Yes. I want you boys to find the crooks and locate those pearls!"

"Hmm. I think I have a hunch about those stolen pearls, chief. I'll call back as soon as I can. I just want to make sure my hunch is right."

Fluey signed off. He had a feeling this Madame LaTrine woman was somehow mixed up with the robbery. All he had to do was make sure of it. All he knew was that he didn't have the pearls anymore. He had dropped them while trying to hand them to Multi in the swamp. A woman came out through the curtains, wearing black, and a gold amulet. She sat down in one chair, and indicated for Fluey to sit down.

"Sit down, my boy," she said. "Welcome. I am Madame LaTrine. What may I do for you?"

"Well, uhh . . . ." Fluey said, trying to think of a reason for being there. He decided to go with why he was all the way out there to begin with.

"My name's Franky, and I'm experiencing a bit of a . . . . voodoo curse," he said.

"Ah, voodoo. Take it from me, I know all about these things. Many a man come to me when voodoo is involved. Now. Don't say a word. I need complete silence while I gaze into my crystal."

Madame LaTrine waved her arms around in a circle. She looked deep into the crystal ball.

"You are part of a popular rock band, are you not?" she asked.

"Yeah, the Impossibles," Fluey replied with a nod. "We were performing . . . . ."

"At the Mardi Gras parade."

"Right."

"Then . . . . . wait, it's coming. Ah, the voodoo master, Gordonalis, arrived and proclaimed you his next victim, am I right?"

"Yeah."

"He told you to come to me . . . . . . oh yes. And you had a string of beads, too, yes?"

"Uh huh."

"Ah ha. Give the beads to me. Then I will solve all your voodoo problems."

Fluey looked at her for a moment. He had to think of something fast, without letting her know he didn't have the pearls on him.

"First I want to know if this is all phony," he said. "Something just doesn't seem right around here."

"Of course it isn't phony," Madame LaTrine said. "Now give me those beads."

Fluey didn't believe her for one minute. He stood up, and walked along the walls, looking at them intently. Something was fishy about the entire thing. Madame LaTrine watched him as closely as she could. Then she turned to her crystal ball, which was also a communicator to Gordy.

"He suspects something," she whispered. "He's approaching your wall."

"We'll be ready," Gordy said.

Fluey turned to face Madame LaTrine. He folded his arms across his chest and gave her a Look.

"I don't think everything's on the up and up here," he said. "I get the very distinct feeling that this is all just an act."

"You're right," Madame LaTrine asked. "It is all just an act. But you won't be around long enough to tell anyone."

Suddenly, someone clapped their hand over Fluey's mouth and pulled him back into the back room. Madame LaTrine walked through the curtain afterwards. Before Fluey had a chance to grab for his transformer, Gordy threw him on the floor, and Jack and Nanette grabbed his arms, causing Fluey to let go of his transformer.

"It may all be an act, Mr. McAlister," Madame LaTrine said. "But Gordy and I _do_ know a thing or two about voodoo."

"Uh oh . . . . ." Fluey said, nervously.

"I believe you have something of ours," Nanette said. "Those beads you were wearing. Where are they?"

"Well, last I remember, I took them off," Fluey said. "I still had them in my hand when the raft fell apart, and that's all I remember."

"You dropped them?!" Jack shouted. He grabbed the front of Fluey's shirt, and pulled him up to his face. "Where did you drop them?!"

"I don't know," Fluey said.

Jack searched Fluey, but he didn't have the pearls in his possession. Jack and Nanette figured he probably hid them somewhere, but he wasn't telling them where.

"Where are those beads?!" Nanette demanded.

"I told you already, I don't know!" Fluey shouted.

"We have ways of making you talk," Gordy said. He picked up the voodoo doll, and wrenched it's arm behind it's back. Fluey let out a painful shriek as his own arm was being wrenched like that.

"Well, where are the beads?" Jack asked.

"I told you, I don't know!" Fluey yelled. "I dropped them somewhere in the swamp!"

"Oh that's just great!" Jack yelled. "I'll have you know those are the Mardi Gras Pearls, the most expensive pearl necklace in the world! We stole them from the jewelry store and gave them to your group by mistake! And then _you_ go and lose them!"

"Jack, you idiot, you just told him what we did!" Nanette shouted.

"I did? Oops."

"Too late now. Okay, kid, what did you do with the pearls?"

"Look, I've told you already," Fluey said. "I dropped them somewhere in the swamp, I just don't know where. I hit my head against a tree branch, and then woke up inside a shack."

"Well, we'll just have to go look for those beads," Gordy said.

"Right," Madame LaTrine said. "In the meantime, we'll have to keep him quiet. I have customers coming in. We can't have him telling them I'm a phoney and a crook."

"Gotcha," Gordy said, and he whacked the voodoo doll over the head with a pipe. Once the doll was hit in the head, Fluey fell unconscious.

"Now find those pearls," Madame LaTrine instructed.

Gordy nodded and went to his crystal ball. Jack and Nanette followed. They had to find those pearls before Multi and Coiley did. Unknown to them, they were a little too late. Multi, Coiley, Skittles, Beau, and Cissy were just happening to the spot where Fluey's piece of the raft crashed. Skittles began sniffing around, and suddenly did her pointer routine (_POING!_)

"Good girl, Skittles," Multi said, as he walked over to where Skittles was pointing. He got down on his knees and began digging in the mud, unearthing a beaded necklace.

"Hey," Coiley said. "Those were the Mardi Gras beads Flu . . . . . I mean, Franky was wearing."

"Yeah," Multi said, looking closely at the beads. "Franky was wearing these all right, but they aren't beads. They're pearls. Really expensive ones, too."

"How can you tell?" Coiley asked. "They look like cheap Mardi Gras beads to me."

"My mom knows everything there is to know about jewelry," Multi said. "She can tell the real things from phonies, and so can I. I know real pearls when I see them!"

"They must be the famous Mardi Gras Pearls," Cissy said. "The ones that were stolen the other night. But how did your friend get hold of them?"

"I don't know," Multi said, shrugging. "He pulled them out of a box with a bunch of other Mardi Gras stuff that we got at a Mardi Gras supply store, that was giving us some costumes and things to wear at the parade."

"Those guys who were running the shop sure seemed to want to get rid of us though," Coiley said.

"That's it!" Multi shouted. "It all makes sense. The two people who owned that store were so anxious to get rid of us because they must have stolen the pearls! They must've accidently threw them into the box with the other Mardi Gras stuff!"

"But what about the voodoo stuff?" Coiley asked.

"Simple, Coiley. Those guys may know some people who know a bit of voodoo. They probably asked them to conjure up a bit of voodoo on Fluey, in order to scare him into giving the pearls to them."

"Well, if the pearls are here, Multi, what happened to Fluey?"

"I don't know, but if he found out about those pearls, he could be in _big_ trouble!"

"Hold it a minute!" Beau shouted. "What're you two _talkin'_ about?!"

"Well, we didn't want to tell you guys this, but we lead double lives," Coiley said, and he and Multi pulled out their transformers. In a swirl of psychedelic colors, they became their superhero personas. Beau and Cissy just stared at them, dumbfounded.

"We'll explain it all later," Coiley said. "Right now we have to find Fluey!"

"What'll happen if he finds out about the pearls?" Cissy asked, worriedly.

"I don't know yet," Multi said. "But something tells me those crooks are gonna do something drastic if they don't get these pearls. Come on! We've got to find them and fast!"

Multi and Coiley then took off. Beau, and Cissy followed. It was all they could do. They had to find Madame LaTrine's hideout before it was too late.


	5. Goodbye Dolly

As it turned out, Gordy found out Multi found the necklace, discovered it's value, and was on his way to the hideout along with Coiley, and Skittles.

"Madame, the other two and the dog are coming," he said. "What are we gonna do?"

"I'll handle them," Madame LaTrine said. "And I'll get the pearls too. You, Jack, and Nanette take care of the kid."

"Right," Gordy said. He turned to Jack and Nanette. "Come on, you guys. We've got work to do."

Jack and Nanette nodded. They were planning on getting rid of Fluey then and there. They dragged the unconscious teenager outside to the river, and threw him inside a boat.

"We'll wait for Madame LaTrine to give the word," Gordy said. "And then we'll send this kid on a river ride he won't forget!"

"Right, through gator infested waters," Nanette laughed.

The three crooks laughed, and waited for Madame LaTrine to give her signal. In the meantime, Multi, Coiley, Beau, and Cissy walked inside the house, through the beaded curtain, and into the parlor. Skittles sniffed around, and then suddenly did her pointer thing (_POING!_) She ran across the room, and then back to Coiley and Multi, with Fluey's transformer in her mouth. Multi took it from his pup, and stuck it in his pocket, just as Madame LaTrine came out, giving off a flashy welcome.

"Welcome, my friends," she said. "What may I do for you?"

"I think you know, LaTrine," Multi said. Then he turned to Beau and Cissy. "You two wait outside for us. Coiley and I have to discuss business with Madame LaTrine alone."

"Right," Beau said.

"Whatever you say, Multi," Cissy said. She and Beau left the room. Multi and Coiley waited until he was sure they gone. Then they sat down at the table.

"Okay, LaTrine," Coiley said. "I understand that we've got something you want, and you've got something we want."

"You are perceptive, Mr. Collins," Madame LaTrine said. "Very perceptive indeed. But I'm hardly one to gamble, you know. Let me give it to you straight. You have the Mardi Gras Pearls, we have your little friend. Right now, he's in a boat, ready to go down the river, right through alligator infested waters. And you don't know Louisiana gators, my young friends. They're big and mean. My associates are waiting for me to give them my signal, and when I do, they'll send your little friend down that river."

"So you're telling us Fluey's gonna be gator lunch," Coiley said.

"Especially if you don't give me those pearls," Madame LaTrine

"Okay, fine," Multi said. "It's a deal. We'll give you the Mardi Gras Pearls, if you give us Fluey."

"Fair enough."

Multi took the Mardi Gras Pearls out of his pocket and put them on the table. Madame LaTrine looked at them for a moment, and then suddenly gave her signal to Gordy, Jack, and Nanette. They laughed sneakily and sent the boat down the river, right in front of Multi and Coiley's eyes, too.

"Hey!" Coiley shouted.

"A double cross!" Multi groaned.

"Never trust a voodoo witch doctor, boys," Madame LaTrine laughed. "You didn't _think_ I'd _actually_ let your little friend go, did you?! No matter. I think it'll be fun watching the gators tear your friend to shreds once he reaches their little watering hole."

"I have news for you," Coiley said. "Alligators aren't man eaters."

"I know that. But they still attack. And your friend should be reaching them soon."

"Panicky playbacks!"

Coiley and Multi jumped out of their chairs and ran out of the house. Beau and Cissy stared at them.

"What's the matter, guys?" Cissy asked.

"Madame LaTrine just sent Fluey down the river," Coiley explained. "He's heading for alligator infested waters, and he'll be a goner if we don't get there fast!"

"And he doesn't have his transformer, either," Multi said.

"Come on!" Beau shouted. "I know a shortcut to the river bank!"

Multi, Coiley, Skittles, and Cissy followed Beau around the house, and down to the river. They had to catch up to the boat at all costs. They managed to find it, just as it reached the gator infested area. Multi sensed that they were all around, ready to tear the boat, and Fluey, limb from limb. He took the pearls out of his pocket and handed them to Beau.

"Hold onto those," he said. "And whatever you do, don't lose them!"

"What are you doing?" Beau asked.

Multi and Coiley didn't answer. They just dove into the water and began swimming as fast as they could.

"Rally ho!" they shouted in unison.

"Hey! What are you guys, crazy?!" Beau screamed. "Get out of there!"

"The gators'll tear you to pieces!" Cissy warned.

"We'll risk it!" Multi shouted, emerging from the water. He dove back under and began swimming around.

Multi and Coiley found the boat, and an alligator right near it, ready to take a bite out of the side. Coiley sprang forward and punched it in the nose.

"Get away from there, you overgrown pair of shoes!" he shouted. The gator lunged. Multi duplicated himself, practically flying at the gator, and whacked it repeatedly on the head with his shield The gator stopped short, too surprised to move.

"And there's plenty more where _that_ came from, big fella," Multi said.

The gator swam off, whimpering like a wounded pup. Coiley and Multi emerged from the water, and climbed into the boat. They began untying Fluey, and started shaking his shoulders to wake him up. Fluey groaned, and opened his eyes slowly.

"Fluey, are you all right?" Coiley asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Fluey replied, sitting up. Then he rubbed the back of his head. "Oh man, have I got a headache!"

"Yeah, I'll bet," Multi said. "Come on. Let's get this thing back to shore."

Multi and Coiley proceeded to paddle the boat back to shore. Once they reached it, they climbed out of the boat. Beau handed the pearls back to Multi.

"What do we do with those now?" he asked.

"Get back to the city and return them to the jewelry store where they came from," Fluey replied. "Let's go."

"But what about Madame LaTrine and the rest of those crooks?" Coiley asked.

"Yes, what about Madame LaTrine?" someone asked. The entire group turned around and saw Madame LaTrine, Gordy, Jack, and Nanette standing there. Gordy smiled sneakily, and held up the voodoo doll. Then he put a knife to the doll's neck. Fluey let out a choked sounding gasp, and felt a sharp object right at his Adam's apple.

"Nobody make a move," Gordy said. "Or else I'll plunge this knife right into the doll's throat. And once I do that, your friend's done for."

"He's not kidding, Multi!" Fluey warned. "If he cuts the neck of that doll, my neck's gonna be cut, too!"

The others just stood there, not wanting to make any false moves. Finally, Madame LaTrine came forward.

"A wise decision," she said. "Now, as you know, boys, I'm a woman who's always got an eye out for a bargain. Give me the pearls, or we'll cut your friend's throat."

"You could go to jail for murder," Beau said.

"Not likely," Madame LaTrine said. "They won't be able to find the knife, and who would believe you if you told them the murderers cut the throat of a voodoo doll?"

Beau looked at Multi and shrugged. Multi took out the Mardi Gras Pearls and clicked his tongue against his teeth.

"Well, you drive a hard bargain," he said. "But okay. Here, catch!"

Multi threw them into the air, right at Gordy. Gordy had to let go of the knife, and the voodoo doll in order to catch them. Fluey breathed a sigh of relief, and then tackled Gordy. He fell backwards, which caused him to drop the pearls. Fluey grabbed them and threw them to Multi.

"Multi, catch!" he called. Multi duplicated upward, and caught them without any problems, but Nanette pushed him to the ground and grabbed the pearls.

"Got 'em!" he shouted.

"No you don't!" Cissy shouted, running by. She grabbed the pearls as she did. "I got 'em! Heads up, Coiley!"

Cissy threw the pearls. Coiley jumped up and grabbed them, but Jack grabbed his feet, pulled him to the ground, and yanked the pearls out of his hand. Coiley stretched his arm forward, and punched Jack, right in the nose. Jack let go of the pearls, and they went flying. Multi caught them in his hand. But Madame LaTrine was ready for him. She turned to Nanette and nodded. Nanette also nodded, and then tackled Fluey, who was about to push the button on his transformer, to the ground. Fluey's transformer went flying as he hit the ground, and landed at Coiley's feet. Before Coiley could toss it back to his dark-haired team mate, Madame LaTrine picked up the voodoo doll.

"Resourceful," she said. "But not resourceful enough. Come on, Nanette. We have the upper hand now. If we don't get those pearls, you'll never see your friend alive again!"

Nanette and Madame LaTrine walked off, taking Fluey with them.

"Now what do we do?" Beau asked.

"As long as she's got that voodoo doll, we can't do anything!" Coiley shouted. "We've got to destroy it!"

"But if we destroy, won't we also kill Fluey in the process?" Multi asked.

"That's the problem," Coiley replied. "We can't do anything to that doll without hurting Fluey. I don't know what else to do. Looks like we have to surrender the pearls."

The group didn't have much of a choice. They followed Madame LaTrine's tracks to the edge of a large cliff. She was standing there, holding the doll over the edge, ready to drop it. Nanette was holding onto Fluey's arms, waiting for Madame LaTrine to drop the doll.

"You have no choice but to give us the pearls," she said. "Or else I drop this doll, and let me tell you, boys! If you try to destroy the doll, you'll only destroy your friend!"

"We know, LaTrine, we know," Coiley said. "That's why we've decided to give you the pearls."

"Those are the real things, right?"

"See for yourself," Multi said.

Multi held up the pearls. Madame LaTrine scanned them, and then nodded. She grabbed then out of Multi's hand and laughed. Then she handed them to Nanette.

"There you are," she said. "You'll be rich."

"Fine," Coiley said. "You've got your pearls. Now I guess you're done with Fluey."

"Oh of course," Madame LaTrine said.

"Good. Now drop that doll!"

"Gladly."

Madame LaTrine gave Coiley a sneaky look, and dropped the doll all right. Straight over the cliff. Of course, that only meant Fluey was thrown off the cliff as well.

"Help!" Fluey shouted as he fell at an alarmingly fast pace.

Coiley clenched his fists and turned to Madame LaTrine.

"You double crosser!" he shouted. "Oooohh, I oughta . . . . ."

Coiley got so angry, he threw his fist forward, but instead on slugging Madame LaTrine, he ended up slugging her amulet, which caused it to shatter to pieces.

"No! Not my amulet!" Madame LaTrine shouted, as her amulet exploded. When that exploded, so did the doll, but Fluey was still falling.

"Now I get it," Coiley said. "The amulet was what powered you, and your voodoo doll!"

"No matter!" Madame LaTrine shouted. "Your friend is still falling, and there's no time to reach him!"

"That's what you think!" Multi shouted. "Rally ho!"

Multi duplicated as fast as he could, and zoomed down to the bottom of the cliff. He retracted his duplicates and caught Fluey before he could hit the ground.

"Frantic freefalls!" Fluey said. "That was a close one!"

"Too close," Multi said. "You all right?"

"Yeah. I'm okay. I'm fine. Just a little dizzy, that's all."

"We're not through yet, Fluey. Hang on."

Fluey hung on to Multi as he duplicated back up. Coiley tossed Fluey his transformer, and he transformed to his superhero persona immediately.

"Rally ho ho!" he called out, going into a partial liquid conversion.

Fluey took off, and zoomed past Nanette, reaching down to grab the pearls as he passed. Then he turned around, went into a full conversion, and splashed over Nanette, washing her into Madame LaTrine. Then he washed both of them to Multi and Coiley, who slapped a pair of handcuffs on both women.

"Gotcha!" the three of them shouted in unison.

"You can't do this to me!" Madame LaTrine shouted. "Just wait until I get out of these!"

"I'd like to see you try without your voodoo," Coiley said. He sprang forward and retrieved Jack and Gordy. Once he did, Multi and Fluey handcuffed them, and contacted the authorities, via Fluey's wrist communicator.

"I think everything's all wrapped up here," Coiley said, once the police arrived. "Let's head back to the city."

Multi and Fluey nodded, and Beau and Cissy escorted them back to New Orleans, after they retrieved the Impossi-Boat from the swamp. Then, after dropping the car off at the local mechanic, the Impossibles then returned the Mardi Gras Pearls to the jewelry store. The owner was every grateful. The press was there, covering the entire story.

"I don't know how to thank you boys," he said. "You quite possibly saved the world's most valuable pearl necklace."

"It wasn't much," Multi said.

"Yeah, just another day's work for us," Fluey replied.

"You boys deserve a little reward for your trouble," the owner said.

"Oh no, we couldn't," Multi said.

"Yeah, we were just doing our job," Coiley said.

"No, I insist," the owner said. He brought out a case, and opened it. Inside were three pearls, not as expensive as the ones from the necklace, but still pretty valuable.

"Please take these as a reward," he said. "After all, you've earned it. And I won't take no for an answer."

"Okay, if you insist," Coiley said, taking the box.

"I think our girlfriends would get a kick out of those, anyway," Fluey said.

The owner nodded, and put the Mardi Gras Pearls back on display. The Impossibles then left the store.

"Well, another case closed," Fluey said. "And another fine mess we found ourselves in cleaned up."

"Exactly," Coiley said. "Come on. Let's head back home."

The Impossibles then went to retrieve the Impossi-Mobile from the mechanic (thank goodness the damage to the front end was repairable, so they wouldn't have to explain yet _another_ crash to the SSHQ chief mechanic, Mike Rogers), and took off toward Megatropolis.

"Rally ho!" they called out as they disappeared into the sky.

The End


End file.
